Colorado Avalanche assistant Dave Hakstol is closing in on the Arizona State job, with negotiations under way to make him the Sun Devils' next head coach. Other candidates have already been told they are out of the running, and Hakstol could be on the bench as soon as Friday when Arizona State plays on the road against UMass-Lowell.
That is why the search has picked up now: the move would come while Arizona State is still dealing with the fallout from Matthew Mayich's collapse during an Aug. 20 outdoor workout. The 21-year-old was drafted by the St. Louis Blues and suffered external heat stroke that cut off oxygen to his brain, and family attorney Rob Carey has said Mayich is unlikely to recover. The coaching change would land in the middle of a painful stretch for a program trying to keep moving while its most serious questions remain unanswered.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Colorado granted Hakstol permission to speak with Arizona State about the position, confirming that the talks have moved beyond a casual search. Hakstol has been on the Avalanche bench since last season after two NHL head-coaching stints, first with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015 to 2019 and later with the Seattle Kraken from 2021 to 2024. He also coached North Dakota from 2004 to 2015, guiding the Fighting Hawks to six Frozen Four tournaments and one national title.
The friction around the hire is impossible to miss. Greg Powers was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 30 and was not with the team for opening weekend, even as assistant Alex Hicks was present for the workout tied to the fallout. Arizona State has also asked former Arizona State Supreme Court chief justice Scott Bales to lead an independent review, with the university asking for it to be completed by early December. Seven Arizona State players had already sent a letter to university president Michael Crow asking for that review and for the coaching staff involved in the workout to be placed on leave until it was done.
If Hakstol finalizes the deal, Colorado could turn to former Vancouver Canucks assistant Brett McLean. For now, the most important detail is simpler: Arizona State is trying to hire a new coach before the review is finished, and the next hard deadline in the story is Friday, when Hakstol could be behind the Sun Devils bench in UMass-Lowell.
